Rick was studying civil engineering technology at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California, when Bill Dutra, a former Delta College student and Oregon Tech (then known as OTI) graduate, returned to visit one of his former instructors. Bill spoke to Rick’s class about OTI, highlighting the college’s student-to-teacher ratio and strength of its academic programs. Intrigued, Rick and several classmates made the trip to Klamath Falls during Christmas break in December 1969 to see the campus for themselves.
The visit made an impression. Four members of the group were accepted and began attending OTI in September 1970. Two years later, Rick graduated with a Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering, with an emphasis in Highway Design.
Learning about the importance of hard work
Rick remembers a laboratory course taught by Jesse Crabtree, where Rick and his small group struggled to produce the soil-testing results they expected. With only general guidelines to work from, they spent hours outside of their regular lab time experimenting, making mistakes and trying again. Their persistence caught their instructor’s attention and ultimately he received an “A” in the class.
“We made a lot of mistakes, BUT we learned a lot,” Rick recalled. The experience taught him a lesson he carried throughout his career: diligent, steady work brings rewards.
Mentorship also played an important role in Rick’s experience. He remembers his class advisor, Dr. John Lund, as a great teacher whose guidance made a lasting impact.
His time as part of Iota Phi Theta
Outside of the classroom, Rick became involved with Iota Phi Theta, serving as secretary during his final year and participating in events and activities that helped make OTI feel like a community. He was involved in the community speech contest, school dances, and concerts (like Pat Paulson).
From OTI to a 50-plus-year career
Rick began putting his education to work even before graduation. In the summer of 1971, he served as an engineering trainee with the Oregon State Highway Department in Medford. Just two weeks after graduating in June 1972, he began his career with Kleinfelder in Stockton. Early in his career, he went overseas, including two assignments in Saudi Arabia conducting geotechnical field assessments for the Riyadh International Airport.
Over more than four decades with Kleinfelder, Rick advanced through roles ranging from engineering trainee and engineering technician to laboratory manager, operations manager, regional group manager, senior project manager and Central Valley discipline leader. In the 1990s, he reached one of his proudest professional milestones when he became a principal owner of the employee-owned company.
After leaving Kleinfelder in 2014, Rick joined KSN, Inc. in Stockton in 2015. There, as a project manager / senior engineering inspector, he worked on flood-control projects in the San Joaquin Delta, water storage, transmission and treatment facilities, river levees and more. He continued working with the company through January 2026 and remains available to return when emergencies or heavy workloads require additional help. Altogether, his civil engineering career has spanned nearly 54 years.
Today, Rick lives in Plymouth, California, where he remains active in his homeowners association and an advisory committee for his local Community Facilities District. Rick recently returned to campus with his wife a couple of months ago. The last time he’d been on campus was in the mid-1980s when the fraternity had a reunion on campus. He was surprised to see how much Klamath Falls has grown over the years, and fondly remembered Craig Hall, Red Garter, and the moat that went through campus.
The lessons he learned at OTI continue to guide him. Rick shares that he’s found the following to be true: perseverance, hard work, learning from your mistakes, be honest, treat one another like how you want to be treated, learn to be collaborative with one another, be bold, be respectful towards all, and having a faithful walk with our Lord God will bring forth joy in your life.